3D TV without glasses shows it's ready for primetime

While 3D television with glasses is here, in our living rooms, and getting the big shout at IFA in Berlin, a handful of companies are already showing off the 3D televisions of tomorrow.

They might not be household names in the UK and US, but Vestel, the largest TV manufacturer in Europe which accounts for 16 per cent of the LCD TV market, is showing off a 46-inch lenticular lens based television that would let you watch TV in your living room without 3D glasses.

A spokesperson for the company told Pocket-lint, that it will be on sale in Europe at the start of 2011.

However, CEO of Dimenco, Maarten Tobias, says that his lenticular lens based television is available now to private customers looking to ditch the glasses.

A 56-inch television, that has been developed in connection with Philips will be 56 inches in size and cost 40,000 euros as they aren't commercially available as yet.

Even if you're ready to stump up enough cash to buy you a very nice car, you'll struggle to find content to watch on the new televisions. Unfortunately it's not just a case of getting your new 3D Blu-ray player and away you go. Footage has to be split into 9 or 15 images per slide all by a rendering chip inside.

So when will this brand of televisions become a reality? Tobias believes we've got another 3 - 5 years to go before IFA will be filled with the new technology, most of which Philips owns the patents for.

However, as with everything, early adopters won't have to wait that long. Tobias says his company is releasing a 52-inch monitor for businesses costing around £6000 in the next couple of months.

Stuart has been a tech journalist since 1998 and written for a number of publications around the world. Regularly turning up on television, radio and in newspapers, Stuart has played with virtually every gadget available.